by C. Lymari
“Just like that.” Jake’s hand came to the back of my head, gently guiding me back to suck him as I had done a moment ago.
I grabbed his cock in a circle between my thumb and pointer finger and pressed back against his skin. The taste of lust was driving me while I sucked the tip of his cock.
“I’m close,” he said.
I took him deeper and faster as my hand jerked him to give him sensory overload.
“Fuck, Juliet… I’m going—”
Jake didn’t get to finish his sentence because I sucked him all the way to the back of my throat when I felt spurts of his cum hit the back of my throat. Usually, I pulled away with Chad; I always started gagging and felt like throwing up. But I wanted all of Jake, every last drop, because he just came from what I did to him. I kept sucking him until the tremors on his dick stopped, and I felt him going soft around my lips.
My knees had gone numb, and I knew I was going to have trouble standing, but Jake was already on it. He pulled me up, then once I was up, he grabbed my ass and sat me on the edge of the desk. Neither of us said anything while he pulled his pants up. Maybe this was going to be the part where it was going to get awkward, proving friends with benefits was total bullshit, but instead Jake came back to where I was sitting. My legs, the traitorous sluts, opened for him. Cupping my face, Jake gave me a soft kiss on my lips. One thing Chad never did was kiss me after I blew him. It grossed him out. Not Jake—he deepened our kiss, his tongue licking my lips softly. When he bit me, I couldn’t help moaning.
Seriously, what was happening to me?
“I like my taste on your lips,” he spoke around our still-linked lips.
My arms went around him, and I smiled at him because I had no idea what to say to that. Jake gave me another kiss, then carried me while my legs automatically wrapped around his waist.
“Come on, let’s go open up. It’s fifteen minutes past ten.”
My eyes went wide like saucers. If anyone was outside, they were going to wonder what the heck was taking so long.
“I can walk,” I rushed out.
Jake’s response was to squeeze my butt. “I like you wrapped around me.”
My belly dipped and filled with warmth. I probably shouldn’t have liked the things he was saying, but they did something to me, added light where I was used to the darkness. Jake sat me on the register counter. While he went to open, I used the moment to jump down and arrange my hair so it didn’t look like a man had been gripping it while I gave him head.
My back was to the register; I didn’t see the man behind me, but I knew who he was the moment he spoke.
“Well, look who we have here.”
I recognized that deep, slimy voice instantly. Gary Newton was behind me, a smirk on his sharp, smooth face while he looked me up and down.
“I heard what happened to you. I guess you deserved it after what you did to my sister.”
My eyes flashed with fear of what exactly he knew. I knew he knew about Abigail because Chad told me so, but I didn’t think he knew about that. It wouldn’t just have been humiliating for me; it would have been social suicide for Chad.
I searched his eyes to see if I could find any signs of pity but saw nothing but hate.
“Do you need anything?” I crossed my arms, hoping it made me seem stronger. Gary put the brush for his car on the counter.
“You know, if you need money, I can help you out… All you’d have to do is lie back and take it. Hell, to show I don’t harbor ill feelings toward you, I’ll even make it good for you.”
“I would never sleep with you, not even if someone paid me,” I spat.
“You and your family always thinking you are better than everyone.” He sneered at me.
And maybe because I was childish and he was provoking me, or I still cared about my family even though they couldn’t give a shit about me, I answered back.
I leaned against the counter, my good hand on top of the table. “You want to know why Jana left you? Because Prescott took pictures of you cheating on her. He made sure to be her friend and be there for her so he could win her over. Neither of you deserved her. I’m glad she ended up with someone who loves her.”
Gary’s nostrils flared.
“You fucking bitch. I hope Chad hangs you out to dry,” Gary spat.
Jake came through the other entrance and noticed the tension between Gary and me. He put a protective hand on my back, and I wanted to hug him for it. Maybe another blow job.
What? No. This was not the time for my newfound sexuality to come out.
“Everything okay?” Jake asked, his voice hard, not cowering to Gary Newton.
Gary looked at Jake’s hand that was possessively grabbing me, and a look of disgust passed his face.
“I guess all you Dunnetts are trash after all… You guys are slumming it.”
“Get the fuck out and don’t come back.” The tone of Jake’s voice was brutal.
I felt shivers but not of fear. I was thrilled because somehow, I knew Jake wouldn’t have let Gary do anything to hurt me. Not physically or verbally. Gary threw the snow brush he was holding against the window, making an echoing sound in the store. Good thing the glass was thick and didn’t break easily. Still, I couldn’t help but flinch. On his way out, Gary threw a rack holding keychains on the floor. Class act he was.
“Shh, babe, it’s okay.” Jake had one of his arms around me.
That was when I noticed I was shivering. The noise reminded me of when Chad broke my phone against the glass window of the kitchen cabinets.
“I’m so, so sorry about that,” I managed to say.
Jake kissed the top of my head while he rubbed circles on my back.
The moment was broken when Detective Dex spoke. “Are you guys okay?”
Jake held on to me tighter. Maybe he sensed I was ready to bolt.
“We’re fine,” he said. “I almost wish Gary had broken the window. He was harassing Juliet.”
Shit. I wondered how much Jake heard. Dexter Hendrix turned his attention to me. Unlike last time, he wasn’t glaring at me today.
“You want me to make a report?” he asked me.
“What’s the point?” I sighed. “He’s only going to get away with it. His family may be gone, but they still own half the town. Besides, it’s not like he damaged anything.”
Dexter looked at me, trying to figure me out. “That’s the problem with society—people are scared to come forward. The law is there for a reason. To protect.”
I couldn’t help the snort that escaped me. “The law is also full of loopholes for those who can afford to find them, fucking the poor and uneducated over. People like Gary only get warnings. After all, nothing happened, right?”
I raised my eyebrow defiantly.
“It goes on record, and that’s there for all to see,” he countered.
“Isn’t he your cousin? Shouldn’t you be protecting him?” I said in a softer tone.
Jake chuckled next to me, and a small grin came out of Dex.
“They don’t like my sister, and they don’t like me either.” Dexter shrugged it off.
At that moment, I was jealous of Freya Pratt. She had the type of unconditional love I wanted from my brothers. Hell, she had that love from my brother too.
“You’re not missing anything. They never had brats at their barbecues,” I told him.
Dexter looked confused. “Is that supposed to mean something?”
“Are you not from Wisconsin?” I asked, appalled at him.
“Nope, we moved from Illinois back to my dad’s hometown.”
I turned to Jake. He was giving me a soft smile, and I loved the way he was looking at me right now. It made me feel cherished.
“Next thing he’s going to say is that he’s not a Packers fan,” Jake chuckled.
Dexter grinned. “Bears all the way.”
I fake gasped.
“Get whatever shit you were going to get, Dex, and get out of my store. That’s blasphemy a
round here.”
Dexter raised his hands in mock surrender. “Just came for some chains for my mom’s truck before a storm comes and you run out like last year.”
Dexter left, and I noticed I was still tucked into Jake’s side. Feeling shy, I let go of him and got my stuff ready to get to work. I came here to budget; the orgasm was a bonus—a freaking excellent bonus.
Jake let me work in silence, handing me what I needed. Mr. Carson mentioned that Jake did their books and that he hated it. Jake left me alone for a bit while I gathered all the information I needed. He came back a little while later, handing me a cup of coffee from Emma’s. I gave him a small smile, and I swore I saw his eyes go soft again. He then looked at the mess I had made. Jake kept looking at me as I worked, but he was quick to get me whatever I needed. It took me about an hour to create a spreadsheet that met the store’s needs.
“Jake,” I said after two hours of radio silence.
He came out holding a large box. He had taken his sweater off, and that thermal he had on was working for him, and me too.
“Hmm?”
His minty breath tickled my skin. I could feel his heat at my back. Okay, he did not need to get that close.
“You need to stop ordering so many batteries. Look at those—you ordered those two years ago because you were out of stock, but because you didn’t label them, you kept ordering more. You have them all under batteries, and you kept ordering by sets of five, and now you are overstocked when you could have used that money to buy other things like chains.” I made my way around the counter and to a room that was half-empty. “Look at all of this!” I waved my hands in the air. “You keep ordering things you don’t need. Make mystery boxes and add one of each and sell them for like ten bucks. It won’t be much of a loss that way.”
Jake didn’t pay a lick of attention to what I was saying. Instead he was grinning at me.
“You’re cute when you get all professional,” he chuckled.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I turned around so I could face him.
The proximity wasn’t having that much effect at the moment since I was filled with dread and anxiety.
“Nothing. Just that I didn’t expect you to be like this.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know…” He scratched behind his neck. “Dedicated, passionate, hardworking. I guess I always thought you’d be more of—”
“A trophy wife?” I answered for him.
Jake’s silence was all the confirmation I needed. I used the awkward silence to my advantage to gather my things.
“I have to go. I’ll finish this another day.” I took my things and went to get my coat.
Luckily for me, someone walked in, needing help. Jake didn’t follow me, and he didn’t call either.
28
Juliet
“Juliet, wake up.”
“Let’s go play.”
“Julieeet.”
Cracking one eye open, I saw a very awake toddler next to me and shaking me. It was safe to say the girls liked their keys. But waking me up at the wee hours of the morning wasn’t cool.
“It’s too early,” I moaned, throwing the covers over my face.
“It’s past ten.” Jess’s voice came from the threshold.
She was in her usual black attire and was sipping from one of my coffee mugs. Yesterday after leaving the hardware store, I passed by the gas station to buy bags of chips and cheap wine in a box and cried to sappy Netflix movies, waiting for an apology text. When it was clear I wasn’t going to get one, I wondered if I’d overreacted.
“Okay, I’m up.” I felt like Anna from Frozen on the morning of her sister’s coronation.
“Let’s go play in the snow!” Rosie shouted, and then she proceeded to jump up and down on my bed.
Behind her, Jess was shaking her head and mouthing no. Great. It was up to me to play bad cop.
“What if we go grocery shopping?” I suggested. We needed food, and I was feeling adventurous and wanted to try to cook something a little more sophisticated.
Rosie made a face, but then shrugged it off. I felt terrible for her—other than coming here, she never went out. Her mom didn’t enroll her in preschool, but she was smart, and I was sure Jess had a lot to do with it.
Half an hour later, we were fighting over what kind of cereal to buy. Yes, I had reduced to fighting with a teenager and a toddler, but come on, I loved my Honey Nut Cheerios. There was no way I was going to eat chocolate-covered grains.
“This is healthy. Both of you can choose between your chocolate yuck and sugar coma flakes.”
“We’ll go with the sugar coma flakes.” Jess put the other box in the cart, then turned to Rosie. “I’ll buy you a chocolate bar.”
“Okay.” Rosie started to walk away, content to be getting candy instead.
“That’s a nice thing you’re doing for those girls.”
I heard the soft voice next to me, and I dreaded turning. It had been years since I’d last spoken to Jana. Our relationship became nonexistent when she invited me to her wedding and I didn’t show. Chad had said we had other things to do than hang with simpletons. Overcome with the guilt, I’d bought all the presents that were left on her registry. I knew Jana would have preferred I showed rather than throw money at her—that much was evident when she didn’t send me a thank-you card. Not that I was expecting one.
“I like them…” I gave her a small smile.
Jana looked pretty; she’d always had that girl-next-door look. She didn’t come from money, but she was beautiful and looked refined. She had a good head on her shoulders, and my parents approved of her, but mainly because the Newtons had too. Jana still looked the same except sharper. Her long blonde hair was now in a lob, and she looked tired.
“It’s nice to see you, Jana. You look good,” I said.
Jana rolled her eyes. “I look like shit. I haven’t slept in three days.”
“Why is that?”
“My daughter. She’s sick and has a lot of mucus, and I’m scared to sleep for fear that she’ll get too clogged at night and stop breathing. Rusty is busy with work. People are coming from all over the county to get their tires changed. He’s helping Max out with the investors that are coming.”
“Investors?”
“You know, for the luxury condos Max and Prescott are building by the lakeshore.”
No, I didn’t know, but I didn’t say a word. Instead, I smiled, hoping the pain didn’t shine through my eyes. It was something we’d always discussed as a family; my grandfather had left the three of us that land, but apparently since I was cut off, I was done. D-O-N-E, done.
“That must be hard. Rosie is three, and she’s a handful. I can’t imagine what’s it like with a baby on no sleep,” I said sympathetically.
There was a pregnant pause. I was ready to turn around and leave, but Jana stopped me. Her hand came to my arm and gave me the first real smile in a long time, which sucked because we used to be best friends. I’d been closer to her than I ever was with Abigail or Nikki. Honestly, Nikki was more of a tagalong, but no one had the heart to tell her to scram. I was sure the only reason Abigail tolerated her was that she was a bitch to Freya.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Pardon?”
“I heard through the grapevine what you told Gary, so thank you.”
“How?”
“Seriously, Gary going off at Juliet Dunnett, that’s pretty hot town gossip. Although the part where you cheated on your husband with him and now you’re with Jake seemed like a stretch.”
Oh, my God.
“What?!” I raised my arms in the air, my cast flinging and knocking a few cereal boxes down.
Jana bent to help me pick them up. “I can see that’s a lie. You’re ringless and back in town… although the Jake part is still up for debate.”
I didn’t dare look at Jana, but I knew that, once again, my pale genes had betrayed me. Gingers, man. We couldn’t deceive, and South Park
said we had no souls.
“I… Jake… We’re just friends.”
Jana smiled and nodded, but I had a feeling she didn’t buy it. “What happened to your arm?”
“I fell.”
“And you moved back to town… with no husband…”
There was something in the way that Jana was looking at me that made me feel transparent. No one had yet to question me, but I hadn’t given anyone a chance to either. Rosie was a doll, but she was three and didn’t bother with those types of questions. Jess was a teenager who was wise beyond her years, but had so much shit in her life that she didn’t bother to question my life. And Jake knew nothing about me. He was content with what I gave him as long as we ended up in bed. I was sure I could avoid in-depth talk with Jake and he would be okay with it—grateful even.
“Things didn’t work out with Chad,” I offered up as an explanation. “I’m glad you’re happy, Jana… I’m sorry I didn’t come to your wedding. I’m… I’m happy for you and your family. I know you always wanted to be a mom more than anything, and I’m glad you’ve gotten a good man to give you a good life… You’re fortunate.”
“There you are—Oh, hey, Jana.” Jess came back with Rosie, who was holding on to Jess with one hand and eating a Snickers with the other.
“Hey, girls.”
Jana tried grabbing Rosie, but she let go of my hand and latched on to my leg, peeking at Jana with a curious smile.
“She’s imprinted on you.” Jana smiled.
Huh, I guess she was right. Like a little ducky, Rosie looked at me as her mommy figure in this scenario. It must have been because I was older than Jess. Little kids could sense those things.
“Say hi, Jana,” I told Rosie.
“Hi, Jaynuh.” Rosie’s voice was adorably sweet.
“Aren’t you a cutie? Hey, what are you guys doing right now?”
“We’re going to go home and eat,” I answered.
“Why don’t you guys come over and eat at my house?”
I was about to deny her offer. It would be too weird, right?
“That depends on what you’re cooking,” Jess said before I could decline.
“We couldn’t impose—” I started.
